PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is urging Hatians to “commit to a stronger Constitution” as efforts continue to restore security and political stability to the French-speaking Caricom country.

In a message marking the 38th anniversary of the 1987 Haitian Constitution, Fils-Aimé said that for the past 38 years, the 1987 Constitution “has been the foundation of our democracy, guaranteeing our freedoms and rights”.

But he acknowledged that “in the face of repeated crises, our nation must evolve.”

“It is time to write a new page in our history. Young people, women, citizens, let us commit to a stronger Constitution, better suited to the challenges of today and tomorrow,” the Haitian leader said.

The Haitian 1987 constitution, adopted after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, established a semi-presidential republic with a dual executive – President and Prime Minister- a bicameral legislature, and a judicial system, aiming to establish a democratic and social republic. ”

The most popular provision of the 1987 Constitution was Article 291, which bars supporters of the previous dictatorship regime from holding any public office.

Haitian officials have been seeking an overhaul of the country based on an essential constitutional reform, designed to modernise state structures, strengthen the separation of powers and guarantee better representation of citizens.

The constitutional referendum, scheduled for May 2025, is a decisive step to adapt the 1987 Constitution to contemporary realities and strengthen citizens’ confidence in the democratic system. Furthermore, the organisation of inclusive and credible general elections in November 2025 remains an essential condition for the restoration of democratic legitimacy and the consolidation of political stability.

Meanwhile, the prime minister accompanied by Social Affairs Minister Georges Wilbert Franck, the Solidarity and Humanitarian Affairs Minister Herwil Gaspard and Serge Gabriel Colin, director of the economic and social assistance fund (FAES), visited the National School of the Republic of Ecuador, now serving as a refuge for displaced families fleeing armed gang violence.

During the visit, Fils-Aimé listened, shook hands, and embraced children whose innocence had been stolen by gang violence. He said everyone deserves more than a makeshift roof and deserves to return home, safe, with their heads held high, “because a dignified people is a people who stand tall”.